The 2025 Club World Cup has only just begun, but one thing cannot be denied: Brazilian teams are taking full advantage of the opportunity to showcase their skills on the biggest stage in world football.
Palmeiras kicked off proceedings with a 0-0 draw against Portuguese giants Porto in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, pushing the Dragons deep into their own half and nearly coming away with a victory. A few hours later in Seattle, Botafogo edged MLS side Seattle Sounders 2-1 via first-half goals from Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus.
Flamengo took care of business on Monday after breezing past Tunisian outfit ES Tunis 2-0 in Philadelphia via goals from Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Luiz Araújo, whilst the following day would see Fluminense face off against German side Borussia Dortmund in New Jersey.
Fluminense set the tone early on as Jhon Arias played a quick one-two and zoomed towards the halfway line, forcing Ramy Bensebaini to foul him and incur a booking after two minutes. They were back on the charge shortly after, with a quick passing combination leading Arias to break towards the right wing before skying his shot.
Whereas Dortmund seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, Fluminense played with a spring in their step and asphyxiated BVB with an aggressive counter-press, quickly turning defense into attack and catching the German side out with ease.
We saw this in the 17th minute, when, after robbing Karim Adeyemi of possession on the edge of the penalty box, they accelerated the ball towards Arias, who forced a low save from Gregor Kobel.
As an army of Brazilian supporters cheered them on, Fluminense continued to heap the pressure on Dortmund, testing Kobel with a variety of powerful shots from outside the box as well as shots from close range.
Arias ran the show and conducted himself well throughout the group stage opener, with the Colombian winger generating a marvellous opportunity after telegraphing a superb lofted pass towards Everaldo, who seemingly only had Kobel to beat. He decided to unselfishly tee up Agustín Canobbio, who fired a tepid effort into the grateful grasp of Kobel.
Desperate for a change in rhythm, BVB coach Niko Kovac subbed on Felix Nmecha for Adeyemi whilst also replacing Pascal Groß with Jobe Bellingham, who was making his BVB debut. BVB continued to tempt fate and play with fire, needlessly attempting to play out from the back amidst Fluminense's devastating press and forcing Kobel into a number of wayward clearances.
Fluminense continued to turn up the heat, with Everaldo stinging Kobel's palms with a potent shot from long-range. And when Nonato looked set to convert the follow-up effort, Kobel rose to the occasion once again to deny the Brazilian midfielder.
As the end drew closer, Dortmund finally started to grow into the game and even tested Fábio in extra time, with Niklas Süle launching a swerving firecracker from distance. However, by the time referee Ilgiz Tantashev blew the final whistle, it was clear that Fluminense were the superior side. Kovac admitted as much, stating that, "it was a lucky point."
All told, Fluminense didn't just do themselves proud – they did Brazilian football proud.
Speaking to FourFourTwo prior to the match, Fluminense's Nonato revealed: "At the same time that representing Brazil is a pressure for some people, it's also a source of pride, and I think we are treating it as such."
“There are four Brazilian teams in the competition, and we're waving the Brazil flag high. We're representing our country and trying to demonstrate the quality of the Brasileirão to the entire world and the high level of performance. Sometimes, it isn't respected as much as it should be.
“Sometimes, people don't look at our league the way we'd like them to, but the Club World Cup is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our quality to the entire world.
“I think it will be a great test for this – not just tomorrow, but the first three matches – for us to demonstrate not only to the world, but to ourselves as well that we are capable of going blow for blow with any team in the world.”
Fluminense will face South Korean side Ulsan in New Jersey on Saturday before taking on Mamelodi Sundowns in Miami on Wednesday, whilst Dortmund will travel to Cincinnati for their next two fixtures vs. Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan.
